This invention concerns an image producing apparatus, particularly the printing devices comprising the function to control document data.
Some of the conventional printing devices are equipped with multiple discharge trays in the discharge unit where the paper with produced images is discharged so that the paper is discharged into appropriate discharge trays based on specified information. The display unit with paper labels, etc. in the discharge tray is known as the one that will distinguish each individual discharge tray aside from the display units that are equipped in the main body of the printing device.
Also, some of the conventional printing devices have functions to delete data and to perform test printing based on the instruction from the operation unit; whereas, a personal computer that is connected to the printing device will control the other areas concerning printing and outputting.
However, there was a problem with display units that are equipped in discharge units in the above-mentioned conventional printing devices. The problem was that the displayed contents could not be easily changed once the labels were attached for display. In order for the displayed contents to be changed, the labels had to be replaced.
As mentioned earlier, the operation performed in the operation unit equipped in printing devices cannot control all the processes; instead, the personal computer has to be used to give commands to and control most of the operations. The operations in the operation unit equipped in the printing devices have made the processes inconvenient. As examples, the operations were not set up in such a way that the printing device operates based on various instructional information contained in the printed data and that the stored data in the memory in the printing devices was transmitted to another printing device.
The purpose of this invention is to resolve the above-mentioned problems and to present an image producing apparatus comprising display units in paper stacks along with display units in the main body of the apparatus. The apparatus will have the capabilities of changing the displayed contents easily without replacing the labels and of confirming the situation of outputted images.
Furthermore, the other purpose of this invention is to present the image producing apparatus comprising the function to control previously mentioned various data except for the functions to delete data and perform test printing with the operation in the operational unit on the main body of the apparatus.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an image producing apparatus having a function to display information concerning documentation control, comprising: an image producing unit which produces images on paper; a memory unit which stores image data to be outputted; a paper stack which contains the paper with produced images that is discharged from the image producing unit; a first display unit which displays information concerning documentation control for image data produced on the paper that is discharged into the paper stack; a second display unit which displays information concerning documentation control for image data that is not produced nor discharged into the paper stack, but stored in the memory unit; and, a control device which controls display in the first display unit and the second display unit.
In this composition, the first display unit will display the information concerning documentation control for the documents that are discharged into the paper stack. Whereas, the second display unit will display the information concerning documentation control for the documents that were not discharged into the paper stack, but stored in the memory unit. Users can easily check both display units and confirm the situation concerning the output of documents.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an image producing apparatus having a function to control document data, comprising: an image producing unit which produces an image based on image data which is received from an external device; a first paper stack which has multiple paper stack trays for containing paper with produced images that is discharged from the image producing unit; a second paper stack which has a paper stack tray for containing paper with produced images that is discharged from the image producing unit; and, a control device which executes a control so that, if the data received from the external device contains a data that specifies a paper stack unit, the data is processed for image production and discharged, and then the paper is discharged into the designated paper stack tray in the first paper stack.
In this composition, each one of the outputted papers with multiple image data that belong to different groups will be contained in respective and vacant paper stack trays separately. Therefore, there will be no occasions where different documents are intermingled and discharged into the same paper stack tray.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, an apparatus having a function to control document data, comprising: an image producing unit which produces images based on image data received from an external device; a paper stack which has multiple paper stack trays for containing paper with produced images that is discharged from the image producing unit; a control device which executes a control so that, if paper is produced with image data which is included in a group that is different from the already-discharged image data, the paper is contained in a paper stack tray that have not contained any paper.
In this composition, if the data received from the external device contains the data that specifies a paper stack, the data will be processed for image production and will be discharged; as a result, the paper will be discharged into the designated paper stack tray in the first paper stack. The first paper stack can be used when images are produced and outputted based on the operations commanded in the main body of the apparatus.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, an image producing apparatus having a function to control document data, comprising: a memory which stores data received from an external device; an operation device which confirms the data stored in the memory; an image producing unit which produces images based on the data stored in the memory; and, a control device which sets up a control mode in response to an operation in the operation device, and controls the image producing unit.
This composition allows a control mode to be set up and data control to be performed easily based on the operations of the operating members in the main body of the apparatus.